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Design Collaborative Wins AIA Fort Wayne Award

Last week, Design Collaborative was awarded a Renovation Merit Award through AIA (American Institute of Architects) Fort Wayne for our work on the University of Saint Francis’ Downtown Campus! The renovation of two buildings on the campus were designed by Design Collaborative – the Business Center and the Music Technology Program.

The Music Technology Program is an addition to the old Scottish Rite Auditorium. While the auditorium was not renovated as part of this project, the outdated 1960s addition is now a state of the art facility for the school to grow their music technology program. There are two sound studios in the basement, each with custom acoustical treatments and acoustically separated floor and ceiling systems. It includes mixing and editing rooms, practice rooms, ensemble rehearsal rooms, and various type of additional spaces necessary to become an expert in the industry.

The Business Center houses the School of Business and Entrepreneurial Learning. This was the renovation of a very historic building, important to Fort Wayne’s history. With respect to the historic nature of the building, our team used sensitivity to history while creating modern learning spaces for today’s students. The building features some very open and collaborative spaces. We incorporated today’s technology and creativity by blending them with historic elements. In the spaces with significant history, we changed very little. In spaces not imperative to historic character, we completely renovated them to fit the needs of the campus. We exposed concrete ceilings, brick, and other building materials in some spaces while preserving historically decorative beams in others.

Thank you to the University of Saint Francis for preserving the historic nature of the buildings on this campus!